Sportsnaut
After finishing last season well under new coach Vanni Sartini, the Vancouver Whitecaps will try to keep building as they start the Major League Soccer season against the past two champions.
First, is a trip to Ohio on Saturday to face the 2020 MLS Cup winner Columbus Crew.
Then in their home opener March 5, the Whitecaps (12-9-13, 49 points last season) will take on 2021 champion New York City FC.
“We get to see where we are right away,” Vancouver forward Brian White said. “It’s going to be a good test. Everyone is really looking forward to it.”
That includes Sartini, who replaced Marc Dos Santos on Aug. 27 and guided the team to a 7-2-5 record and into the team’s first playoff appearance since 2017.
“I’m happy, to be honest, because MLS is very hard,” he said of the early schedule. “It’s good that we start immediately to feel the pressure and be as sharp as we can in order to try and get points.”
The Whitecaps accommodated goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau’s request to be traded last month, bringing Vancouver $1 million in general allocation money over the next three years. That turns the focus to 22-year-old replacement Thomas Hasal.
The key for the Crew (13-13-8, 47 points in 2021) will be an improved defense and increased depth up front as they try to build on last season’s strong finish. Although they did not make the playoffs, they finished with three straight wins and a 4-1-1 mark in the final six matches.
“I think this is going to be a team that’s going to grind points this year,” Columbus coach Caleb Porter said. “I don’t want to take away from the attack, I think we’ve got a good attack, it’s just I feel really good about the type of team this is shaping up to be.”
Defender Josh Williams, an integral part of the 2020 championship team, said “I think it’s one of the strongest groups I’ve been a part of. This is a group that’s going to battle.”
–Field Level Media
